Just In Time
by GhibliGirl91
Summary: Ichigo and Rukia, both out shopping for Valentine's day, have a little run in and it doesn't end well for either of them. Can their Valentine's day be special anyway? Entry for the 'So you want to write Bleach fics' Valentine's challenge.


**My entry! Just in time for the closing of the Valentine's contest on 'So you want to write Bleach fics?' Haha, didn't think I could do it! Ooh just in time, isn't a bad title actually.**

**Prompt: The strangest Valentine's gift ever!**

**IchigoXRukia...duh :D**

**1000 words exactly!**

**Edit: Argh! Goddamn all page breaks and their mothers-they disappeared on publication again. On second look its a little sparse but I quite like it anyway.**

**Edit 2: THRICE DAMN THEM!**

**Edit 3: Okay, why isn't this working? The FF Gods are laughing at me! This is perverse.**

**Edit 4: Oh right, that's why. But I fixed it, therefore I WIN!**

* * *

What would you think if you saw a guy sprinting towards you?

Rukia was thinking about tomorrow's dinner. She was determined to cook. She was ashamed that she was so excited; but it was her first Valentine's with a boyfriend. And apart from a few childish dates with Renji when they were twelve, this was her first real relationship.

But that was one of the reason she was going to make a perfect Valentines that he would appreciate (or so help him God). This plan resulted in the 'grown-up' underwear in her bags and various other essential items.

She was praying that it would go well; they had been friends for so long she didn't want him to think she had suddenly morphed into this psycho that cried for six days if he forgot an anniversary. That she most definitely wasn't.

Then she looked up to see a six foot behemoth bearing down on her.

* * *

Ichigo was window shopping. He had said goodbye to Chad a minute before, his friend had headed home early. Ichigo on the other hand had been milling about for ages; searching.

Ichigo wished one-thousand painful deaths on this ridiculous holiday. It was trivial and commercial and...it had him stumped.

Maybe he could just buy a ribbon and tie it round his...

No, she would punch him.

Flowers? _She'll sneeze.  
_Jewellery? _Never wears it.  
_Underwear? _Pervert._

Uh...a scarf? Silence from his conscious. Perfect, now where to get one?

He looked up from the sidewalk and felt his heart stop.

* * *

Rukia had a space of three seconds to understand, as she watched him, moving almost in slow-motion, vaulting the metal barriers by the crossing and thundering towards her. Snarling; he seized her about the waist and dragged them to the floor. They hit the tarmac hard, Rukia's skin was sloughed off as she slid.

There was the screech of brakes and the scream of a car horn, slammed hard. The last sound was a sick crunch.

* * *

She lay there for a second, her brain yelling at her 'get up!', but her body incapable. Only when she felt a heart-beat that wasn't hers, and heard yelling voices, did she move.

She raised her head and saw a face; long eyelashes fluttering as his lips moved soundlessly.

She shifted, realising that she lay on his chest and his eyes slipped to hers.

"Hello."

"Hello, yourself," he replied, "Why were you standing in the middle of the road?"

"I didn't realise."

"Well there was a car coming at you midget, would ha' saved me a trip if you'd seen it."

Rukia was too dazed to scowl at his reference to her height, she had just noticed something pooling by his head.

"Oh shit!" she gasped sitting up, adrenaline kicking her into overdrive.

* * *

He yawned. He was _so_ tired. Maybe if he closed his eyes just for a second...

"Hey," he heard her shout and shake him, "Don't go to sleep! Don't!"

If he had the energy he would have scoffed but instead just let the darkness stroking at the back of his mind crawl forwards and curl around him.

* * *

"Miss Kuchiki?" asked a tall woman with a long braid.

"Yes?" replied the other, leaping up.

"He's going to be fine." She said with a smile, and Rukia slumped back down, closing her eyes.

"It 's a severe concussion but he's responding normally, so long as he stays awake he should be fine. I would like to keep him in for a few days." She checked something off on her clipboard, "Do you want to see him?"

Rukia looked down and nodded. Dr. Unohana smiled kindly and indicated the room.

Rukia thanked her and picked up her bags.

* * *

Ichigo was flipping TV channels; about to turn it off when the door opened. He looked up to see the tiny woman he had rescued.

She turned _very_ slowly from the door, and raised her blazing eyes to his, then her face contorted with fury . She bent over, took off her shoe and hurled it at him.

"Ow! I'm already injured you crazy midget bitch!"

"YOU MORON!" she screamed and grabbed her bags, "I can't believe you did this!"

"What? What did I do?" he shouted back.

"I. Spent. So . Much. Money!" she shrieked, hurling ingredients at him one by one.

"I saved your life you animal! Why are you throwing things at me?"

"I would have seen it! You didn't need to push me! "

"Oh well sorry if I crushed a carrot but I was a bit preoccupied with the truck about to crush _you_!"

Something soft hit him in the face and he pulled them off to see a pair of violet satin panties. He smirked before having them yanked out of his hand.

"IDIOT!" she screamed, then, slowly her shoulders fell and she covered her face.

"You could have died, Ichigo."

Ichigo's eyes softened and he reached out, grasping her shirt. Rukia kicked off her other shoe and climbed on to the covers with him curling up.

"Sorry." He whispered kissing her hair. She gave him another half-hearted prod in the chest.

"_Really_ sorry." He added hopefully.

"Idiot."

He raised her chin, then on one finger he held up the discarded underwear.

"Were these for me?"

Rukia blushed.

"Maybe."

He grinned, "That door has a lock."

She stared at him coldly.

"You're bed bound.

"Not an issue."

"Forget it. If I lock that door, you'll be screaming for an entirely different reason."

He dropped pretences and gave her an all out grin.

"Rukia Kuchiki, you seem so certain that you will be able to make me scream."

* * *

Dr. Unohana heard the lock click, followed by a shriek of laughter and a heavy thud. She hid her smile behind her chart.

**Who guessed that they already knew each other? XD**

**Originally it was Kaien who was the fabled boyfriend and the pair had never met before today but I couldn't fit all that into the word count :D So it became Ichigo.**

**Not completely happy, but I have no time to niggle with the details and overall I think it was okay.**

**His gift to her...his life...almost anyway.**

**We all know that he would die for her, he's tried it at least once already.**


End file.
